Mississippi State
LSU
Men's Tennis Drops Close 5-2 Match To #16 LSU
April 05, 2008 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Two three-setters proved to be the difference in MSU's upset bid against #16 LSU Saturday afternoon, as the Bulldogs dropped a 5-2 decision to the Tigers at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on the MSU campus. The 49th-ranked Bulldogs (8-9, 2-7 Southeastern Conference) rallied from an early deficit but ultimately dropped their fourth straight match .
"We were right there again today," said MSU head coach Per Nilsson. "It is frustrating to be this close and not come out on top. We have to get better in these close matches and figure out a way to get it done."
LSU (12-6, 5-4 SEC) gained early momentum as the Tigers took two of three doubles matches to claim the opening point. MSU's team of Ivan Bjelica and Philippe Frayssinoux were the first off the courts as they closed out an 8-4 victory on court #1 over LSU's 30th-ranked duo of James Cluskey and Michael Venus. On court #3, LSU would respond as the tandem of Sebastian Carlsson and Jan Zelezny downed Bulldogs Chris Doerr and Tanner Stump 8-2. LSU clinched the point when Kevin Dessauer and Colt Gaston topped State's Ryan Farlow and Pjotrs Necajevs 8-5 on court #2.
The match would tighten considerably when singles began as MSU took the first set on three courts. LSU would extend their lead to 2-0 as LSU's Cluskey downed MSU freshman Antonio Lastre 6-1, 6-2 on court #5. MSU's Doerr would then respond, closing the score to 2-1 as the London, England native won 6-4, 6-1 over Tiger Julien Gautier at the #4 spot. LSU pushed the lead to 3-1 when Dessauer eased to a 6-0, 6-2 win over State's Farlow at the #3 position. Once again, State responded and narrowed the gap to 3-2 as 26th-ranked Bjelica moved past 47th-ranked Venus of LSU 6-4, 6-4 on court #1.
Both of the remaining matches on court would go to three sets before the match was the decided. On court #2, MSU's 57th-ranked Frayssinoux breezed to a 6-2 win in the first set over LSU's Zelezny. However Zelezny would take the final two sets 6-4, 6-2 to clinch the win for the Tigers. Meanwhile on court #6, Bulldog sophomore Artem Kuznetsov split a pair of tiebreakers before he fell 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-0 to Carlsson of LSU, giving LSU its fifth point.
With his victory on court #1, Bjelica improved to 6-2 this season in SEC matches. The win for Bjelica was his ninth over a ranked opponent this season including his fourth over a top-50 opponent. State's Doerr snapped a two match losing skid as he captured his fourth dual-match win of the season. In doubles, Bjelica and Frayssinoux moved to 8-4 in dual matches at the #1 position as they won for the second time over a top-30 opponent.
The Bulldogs will close out their 2008 regular-season home slate Sunday, welcoming 47th-ranked Arkansas at 1 p.m. Bjelica and Frayssinoux will be honored during a Senior Day presentation.
#16 LSU 5, #49 Mississippi State 2
STARKVILLE, Miss.-4/5/08
Doubles-Ivan Bjelica/Philippe Frayssinoux (MSU) def. #30 James Cluskey/Michael Venus (LSU) 8-4; Kevin Dessauer/Colt Gaston (LSU) def. Ryan Farlow/Pjotrs Necajevs (MSU) 8-5; Sebastian Carlsson/Jan Zelezny (LSU) def. Chris Doerr/Tanner Stump (MSU) 8-2.
Singles-#37 Bjelica (MSU) def. #47 Venus (LSU) 6-4, 6-4; #118 Zelezny (LSU) def. #57 Frayssinoux (MSU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2; Dessauer (LSU) def. Farlow (MSU) 6-0, 6-2; Doerr (MSU) def. Julien Gautier (LSU) 6-4, 6-1; Cluskey (LSU) def. Lastre (MSU) 6-1, 6-2; Carlsson (LSU) def. Kuznetsov (MSU) 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-0.
Players Mentioned
